Phonograph



' B. B. BLOOD.

PHONOGRAPH.

- APPLICATION FILED 0C T- 10.1911.

Patented Aug. 19,1919.

was

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3m B. BLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 GEORGE HEIDKAN AND NORMAN I A. STREET, BOTH OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PHONOGBAIH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Application filed October 10, 1917. Serial No. 195,702.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BURR B. BLoon, a citizen of-the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented .new and useful Improvements in Phonographs, of which the following is a. description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,

which forms a part of my invention.

My invention relates more particularly to the tone-chamber or amplifier of a phonograph; the construction being adapted to give the reproduced tones or sounds their natural tone quality and enable them to be presented in a clear, distinct manner and with volume commensurate with the original production or selection.

The invention also contemplates a construction which enables the tones to be modi fied so as to reduce the volume when desired, and also to control and so direct the tones of certain selections as to give them the natural tone quality or effect of the original selection, as will be more readily understood from the detailed descripton of the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of the upper portion of a phonograph, in other words the tone-chamber portion of the cabinet, the turn-table and tone-arm; the reproducer-carrying portion of the latter being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional plan view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig, 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. V Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the tone or sound-controlling means.

In the specific exemplificatiom, as disclosed in the drawing, the phonograph cabinet is shown composed of wood and made in the usual manner, preferably rectan lar in cross section so as to provide s cient space for my improved tone-chamber; the outer or main cabinet portion being shown at 10 in the drawing.

The cabinet comprises the usual top or motor-supporting board 11 from which the motor is suspended, the latter being dia grammatically indicated at 12, the top or motor-supporting board 11 being at some distance removed from the bottom board 13; thus providing a chamber within which the motor is suspended and within which chamber my improved amplifying means with a grille or open-work panel 14 inorder to permit the tones or sounds to issue from the tone-chamber or amplifying means. The usual tone-arm, indicated at 15, is suitably mounted in the orifice of the vertically disposed throat or tube 16 whereby the tones or sounds are conveyed from the reproducer (not shown) mounted at the end of the tone-arm 15 through the arm 15 into the throat or tube 16 and thence out through my improved amplifier or tonechamber. The tone-chamber is preferably shown bell-shaped in horizontal cross-sectlon, see Fig. 2; the chamber being provided with the bent side walls 17, 17 preferably of thin wood. orv veneer bowed so as to flare toward. the front of the cabinet where the grille 14 is located; the front ends of the side walls 17 being secured in any suitable manner to the side walls 10 of the main cabinet. The rear ends of the side walls 17, 17 are secured in a suitable manner,

preferably in suitable grooves formed in the forwardl presented lugs or portions at the ends of a transversely disposed sleeve or tu bular base-portion 18 of the throat-memher 16. The throat 16 and transversely disend of the transversely disposed tubular.

portion 18 shown closed while the other end is provided with a removable nut or caprtion 20 shown screwed into place, see

i q; 2 and 3.

' e 'removalble end or cap-portion 20 enablesthe insertion of the tubular valve or member 21 which is preferably made of suitable metal and provided with an opening at 22 at a point intermediate of its ends.

The openingis somewhat elongated and disposed transversely of valve 21 so as to remaln in register with the throat 16 when the valve is partially'rotated about its longitudinal axis. Adjacent the ends of the valve or sleeve 21, and on the side disposed toward the tone-chamber 19, it is provided with openings 23, 23 which register with the rear end of the tone-chamber 19, at opposite sides thereof, as clearly shown inFig. 2'.

.tinuous strip 0 the shape shown; the ends thereof being secured in any suitable, manner, as for example in the lugs 26 formed on the forward side of the transversely disposed sleeve-portion 18, see Figs. 2 and 3. The auxiliary tone-chamber 25 is provided with a suitable .top 27 and a bottom 28; the top 27 being referably slightl bowed, as indicated in ig. 1; the top an bottom being maintained in proper relation with each other by a suitable ,29, see Fi 1, the latter being preferab y composed 0 wood and arranged at a suitable intermediate point in the auxiliary chamber 25. This post 29 also enables vi-.

brations to be transmitted, therethro%h from top to bottom, and vice versa.

' forwardly presented end of the auxiliary chamber 25 is provided with a suitable number of openings, preferably shown S-shape, at 30, in Fig. 1; These openings permit any tones or sounds that are transmitted into the auxiliary chamber 25 to find egress throu h the forward part of the chamber, into e main tone-chamber 19 and thence through the grille 14.

The central elongated opening 22 in. the tubular member or valve 21 is made of sufficient length to enable the valve to be rotated and permit the opening 22 to be in register with the throat 16 and with the rear en of auxiliary chamber 25. The tubular member or valve 21 is provided with a suitable rod 31, of a length to extend through the side of the main cabinet, as shown in Fig. 2; the outer end being provided with a suitable grasp or thumb-nut 32 to enable the operator to rotate the rod 31 and therefore also tubular member or valve 21 so as to either bring the openings 23, 23 of the tubular member or valve 21 into register with the rear end of the main tone-chamber 19 and opening 22 into 'sterwith the throat 16, or by further rotatlon of the tubular member or valve 21 move the openings 23, 23 out of register with the main tonechamber 19 while the end of the elongated opening 22 is left inregister with the throat 16 and the other end of the opening moved into communication with the auxiliary tonechamber 25. With the openings 23 in register or communication with the main chamber 19, all tone waves or sounds are transmitted into chamber 19 while movement of valve 21, so as to have opening 22 communi-- cate with .chamber 25, causes all tones or thin wood or veneer into natural or violin tone. This effect. is due to v the construction of the auxiliary chamber whose. walls are composed of suitable thin wood or veneer, with the top and bottom separated by the sound post 29, as previously described 7 As is apparent from the construction shown and described, all of the tones or sounds may be transmitted through the openings 23, 23,-into the main tone-chamber 19, to wit on opposite sides of the auxilia chamber 25,- .13 is the case when the tub ar member or valve 21 is in the position shown in all of the figures; 'With the yalve 21in the position shownin'the drawmg, communication with the auxiliary chamber 25 is cut ofi by the wall 21 of the tubular member orTval've 21. On the other hand, the tones or sounds may all be, transmitted through auxiliary chamber 25 and thence into the forward portion of the main tone-chamber 19 by a proper or forward rotation of tubular member or valve 21 so as to throw the openings 23, 23 out of register with the rearward end of the main tonechamber 19 andmove the elon ted opening 22 of the tubular member or v ve into register'with the rear end of auxiliary chamber 25, with one end thereof still remaining in register with the throat or opening 16.

I have "shown and described a tone-chamber or amplifier which greatly enhances the tone qualities and whereby the reproduced sounds or tones are obtained in a natural or lifelike manner and at the same time perthe tones to be produced with the desi volume, without, however, in any way interfering with the tone quality.

I have shown and described my improved tone-chambers as preferably composed of wood and of increasing dimensions from F rear to front; the side walls given a suitable curvature so as to provide curved, uninterrupted pasages of gradually increasin dimensions, which permit the 'gradu expansion of the sound waves. The invention,

owever, ma have expression in somewhat different mec amcal form without de arting from the spirit of the invention.

or example, in Fig. 1, I have shown the integral front and side walls 25 of the auxiliary chamber 25 extending beyond the top 27 of said chamber and throughout the'ver- 'tical depth of the main tone-chamber 19.

This construction is especially employed where the space or chamber intermediate of the motor-supportin board 11 and the bottom 13 is not of su cient vertical depth to permit the motor to be suspended above the top 24 of the tone-chamber 19. The top duit arranged in communication with the tone arm or reproducer carrying member, while the opposite end of' the conduit terminates in a laterally disposed sleeve-portion provided with openings in the side disposed toward the front of the phonograph, a tubular member or valve rotatably mounted in said sleeve-portion and provided with openings adjacent both ends-thereof adapt:

ed to register with the openings-in the forward side of said sleeve-portion and havin an opening intermediate of its ends adapte to register with the sound-conveying conduit and with an opening in the front side of the sleeve member and intermediate of its ends, and a pair of tone-chambers, one of which is adapted to receive the tones through the-openings adjacent the ends of the valve, while the other is adapted to receive the tones through the opening .ar-

ranged intermediate of the ends of the valve.

2. In a phonograph, provided with a sound conveying conduit, a tone chamber provided with walls converging toward said conduit and adapted to be in communication with the lower end thereof, an auxiliary tone-chamber arranged centrally within the first mentioned tone-chamber and ada ted to be in communication with saidoon uit, said auxiliary chamber being arranged in communication with the forward end of the main chamber, and means located in said condrit whereby the tones or sounds are transmitted either into the main tone-chamher or into said auxiliaryv tone-chamber.

3. In a phonograph, a sound-conveying conduit terminating at its end in a laterally disposed sleeve-portion provided with openings in one side wall thereof, a main tonechamber whose walls converge toward said sleeve and are secured thereto, an auxiliary tone-chamber mounted within the first-mentioned tone-chamber with its walls converging toward said laterally disposed sleeve and secured thereto at points intermediate of the ends thereof, the openings in said sleeveportion normally communicating with both chambers, and a tubular valve rotatably mounted in said sleeve-portion andv provided with a plurality of openings adapted to effect the communication between said sleeveportion and the two tone-chambers so as to compel the sound-waves or tones to either pass directly into said first-mentioned tonechamber or 1nto the second or auxiliary tonechamber.

4. In a phonograph, provided with a sound-conveying conduit, a tone-chamber provided with curved side walls converging toward said conduit and normally in communication therewith, an auxiliary tonechamber arranged within the first-mentioned chamber and adapted to be in communication with said conduit, said chamber having side walls bowed into oval shape, with ,openings in the forward end thereof, and'means located in said conduit whereby the tones or sound waves are transmitted either into the first mentioned chamber or into said second mentioned chamber.

'5. In a phonograph, provided with a sound-conveying conduit terminating at its end in a transversely disposed sleeve-portion o p onograph, a tone-chamber provided with pen on its side toward the front of the walls converging toward and connected to tion whereby the sound-waves are transmitted from the conduit either into the first- 1 ,mentioned tone-chamber or into the secondmentioned tone-chamber.

6. In a phonograph, a tone-chamber provided with rearwardly converging top and side walls, a second tone-chamber located within the first chamber, the sides of said second chamber bein formed of a continuous strips of thin wood bowed into spheroidal shape in cross-section, with the front side thereof provided with sound-outlets, while the top wall of said second chamber is bowed, and vibration-transmitting means secured to the top and bottom within said second chamber.

BURR B. BLOOD. 

